ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. race — the arms race
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. land — ground
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. race — a contest
  8. stock — shares
  9. hand — in cards
  10. craft — boats
  11. dip — to sink
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. land — to come down
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stock — goods
  19. lie — to recline
  20. band — a music group
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. land — a country
  23. race — humankind
  24. craft — a skill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com